Reas. 1. The first is taken from the Covenant unto whom it doth belong. I formerly conceived, That unto all the Faithful the Covenant ⟨p. 3⟩did belong, and unto their Seed also, not considering, that which since I have learned & found, That the Covenant which is made to Me, and to my Seed, Is not made to the Righteousness of Faith at large, But to them that are Righteous by the Faith of the Seed of Abraham; that is, to such Believers as are Confederate with Abraham. And therefore it was, That though Circumcision the old Seal of the Covenant (answerable to our Baptism) was Administered to all the Seed of Abraham, Yet not unto those godly Men that Believed in his Age: For Abraham and his Family were then the only visible Church of God upon the Face of the Earth. And though Melchizedek lived at that time, who was an heir of the Righteousness of Faith, yet not of the Covenant of Abraham, unless he will join himself to the Family of Abraham. Nor Job himself, though he was a Man none like him upon the Face of the Earth; nor his Friends; Men fearing God, in their Generation, were yet uncapable of Circumcision, unless they had joined themselves to the Family of Abraham. And therefore you shall never read that the Covenant belongeth to Me, and to my Seed, ⟨p. 4⟩unless I be of the Seed of Abraham, or joined to the Family of Abraham. So we shall find it in the Sanction of the Second Commandment, That the Lord showeth Mercy to thousands of the Generations of such as Love and Fear Him: That Commandment hath respect to God's Instituted Ordinances. Let Jonah go to Nineveh, and by the blessing of God prevail with Thousands, then the Covenant of Grace belongs to them; but What? to their Seed also? No, verily not, unless their Parents were Confederate to the Seed of Abraham. So that if you desire Mercy to you, and to your Seed, Keep then to the Ordinances, and to the God of the Ordinances, and so you shall keep a constant entail of the Covenant to you, and to your Seed; for unless Men enjoy the Covenant this way, it aoth not belong unto their Seed. This being not considered, I fear, hath brought great Mischief to all the Churches that have not attended unto this Principle, and hath been an occasion of much Mistake to many godly Parents, who plead their Covenant for their Seed, and many times so find little blessing;
Reas. 1. The first is taken from the Covenant unto whom it doth belong. I formerly conceived, That unto all the Faithful the Covenant ⟨p. 3⟩did belong, and unto their Seed also, not considering, that which since I have learned & found, That the Covenant which is made to Me, and to my Seed, Is not made to the Righteousness of Faith at large, But to them that are Righteous by the Faith of the Seed of Abraham; that is, to such Believers as are Confederate with Abraham. And therefore it was, That though Circumcision the old Seal of the Covenant (answerable to our Baptism) was Administred to all the Seed of Abraham, Yet not unto those godly Men that Believed in his Age: For Abraham and his Family were then the only visible Church of God upon the Face of the Earth. And though Melchizedeck lived at that time, who was an heir of the Righteousness of Faith, yet not of the Covenant of Abraham, unless he will joyn himself to the Family of Abraham. Nor Job himself, though he was a Man none like him upon the Face of the Earth; nor his Friends; Men fearing God, in their Generation, were yet uncapable of Circumcision, unless they had joyned themselves to the Family of Abraham. And therefore you shall never read that the Covenant belongeth to Me, and to my Seed, ⟨p. 4⟩unless I be of the Seed of Abraham, or joyned to the Family of Abraham. So we shall find it in the Sanction of the Second Commandment, That the Lord sheweth Mercy to thousands of the Generations of such as Love and Fear Him: That Commandment hath respect to God's Instituted Ordinances. Let Jonah go to Niniveh, and by the blessing of God prevail with Thousands, then the Covenant of Grace belongs to them; but What? to their Seed also? No, verily not, unless their Parents were Confederate to the Seed of Abraham. So that if you desire Mercy to you, and to your Seed, Keep then to the Ordinances, and to the God of the Ordinances, and so you shall keep a constant intail of the Covenant to you, and to your Seed; for unless Men injoy the Covenant this way, it aoth not belong unto their Seed. This being not considered, I fear, hath brought great Mischief to all the Churches that have not attended unto this Principle, and hath been an occasion of much Mistake to many godly Parents, who plead their Covenant for their Seed, and many times so find little blessing;
